My Son
by House-M.D.-Lover
Summary: Dr. Carlisle Cullen is working as a doctor in Chicago when the Spanish flu hits the city. When a young teenagers ends up in the hospital he finds himself strangely attached to the boy. The story of how Carlisle and Edward first met.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I hope you guys like this. It's a story from Carlisle's point of view and is about when he first met Edward.**

I couldn't help but stare as a new person was being wheeled into the room. It was a young boy, eighteen at the oldest. He already looked dead and it took me a few seconds to realize he was still alive. His forehead was drenched in sweat; his golden hair clung to it. As they tried to lift him off the gurney he let out a load moan.

"Mom?" he asked rolling in agony "I want my mother!" he began to scream and gripped the bed sheets with such fervor I could see his knuckles turning white.

I loved helping people, but I hated their pain. I hated walking into the hospital every morning and seeing the dead bodies that lined the halls. I hated watching as mothers held their tiny coughing children whose faces had begun turning blue with a lack of oxygen. I hated knowing I couldn't save them all.

"Please." I realized the boy I had been watching was talking to me "Please sir." He called again; this time I looked down. I could already tell he was dying. He was in the beginning phase but it was clear he would not survive. Be it minutes, hours, days or weeks, there was no denying the illness would take over him.

"Yes?" I asked as I took in his appearance. The boy was gorgeous, a true loss to the world. I could easily picture him standing at an altar, a porcelain princess holding his hands.

"Where are my mother and father?" I didn't know. So I told him what I told everyone.

"It depends if they're worse off than you. We place people in different wings; it all depends on how infected they are." The boy closed his eyes and I watched as a tear slowly worked its way down his smooth, adolescent face. "But let's not worry about them. How about we try to help you? Let's start with your name."

"Edward Anthony Masen." His answer didn't matter. We weren't even supposed to ask, the people we treated died within days, questions like their names and ages were trivial and didn't make a difference. Even so, I found myself unable to resist asking the boy.

"Date of birth?"

"June 20, 1901." he coughed and he cried out in pain. Seventeen, I knew he was young.

"Tell me when this all started." I had heard the story a plethora of times, but I wanted to hear it from him. I didn't understand why but I felt unusually close to the child, as if we had been best friends in a past life.

"I stayed home from school to look after my parents," I could see his face had already begun changing colors, a sure sign of his oncoming death, "they hadn't been feeling well the day before. I was making them lunch when I felt sick. I ran to the bathroom…" his voice trailed off. Even on his death bed the boy was shy and modest "…I lay on the ground for two hours. It hurt to move. I noticed that I had begun coughing and wheezing like my parents. Not too long before now our maid arrived to clean up and cook us dinner. She found us all and called an ambulance" His voice trailed off as he began to cough again.

* * *

I wasn't surprised when I found out I had a new patient who had arrived in critical care – Elizabeth Masen. It was ironic; I took care of two types of patience, those who had just acquired the illness and those who had hours to live.

"Did she come in with anyone?" I asked a nurse who was busy trying to hold a crying infant whose mother had just died.

"A son and her husband. The husband died before he was even inside the building." A sudden wave of emotion washed over me. I wondered how Edward would take the news, or if anyone would even tell him. With over a hundred deaths daily just at our hospital it wasn't uncommon for a death to go unnoticed or unannounced for a day or two. I considered just letting the disease overcome the boy, maybe he didn't have to know. For hours I contemplated if I should tell the him, finally I decided it was only fair

* * *

That evening, when I walked into the area Edward was being held, I could tell his condition had worsened severely. Every inch of his face was shaded blue and his eyes refused to stay open. As I glided to the boy's side I heard a patient scream out in pain; it wasn't uncommon for ribs to crack when people coughed while infected with the Spanish flu.

"Edward?" I called the boy's name placing my hand on his arm. He rolled over and tried to peak at me. "Can you hear me?" There was a faint and barely audible 'yes' that escaped from the boy's lips. If I wasn't what I was I didn't know if I would have been able to hear it.

"You father is dead Edward." The words stung him and I watched as tears snuck their way out of his closed eye lids. "You need to be strong. For him, for your mother." I had crossed a dangerous line. The boy had become more than just a patient to me. I loved him as one would love a child. There were other patients, many other patients, but I found myself only trying to comfort him.

"Where does it hurt the most?" I wanted to ease his pain as best I could. I wasn't ready for his answer.

"Everywhere" he managed to cough out before he was silent again. If I was not able to hear the slow tick of his heart beating I might have thought he had passed on.

"Does your head hurt?" he nodded.

"Does your throat hurt?" he nodded.

"Everywhere hurts" he said again. I couldn't imagine hurting…everywhere. I hardly ever remember getting sick and the idea of being completely susceptible to the disease frightened me for the child. As if to emphasize his point a small trickle of blood escaped his nose. Damn. There was no denying his condition was worsening by the second. His internal organs were hemorrhaging. He didn't have long now.

"Nurse!" I called and watched as a short woman ran over to see how she could aid. "Please bring Mr. Masen to my other wing." The boy was quickly wheeled out of the room. It took me a while to move. His bed was gone and he would be too in just a few hours. It was like he had never been here at all.

**A/N: Let me know what you think. Should I continue this? : )**


	2. Choices

**A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long. My internet decided to be difficult. :/**

* * *

After they had taken Edward away I decided to pay a visit to his mother, Elizabeth. She had been doing progressively worse and I feared what I may find out when I went looking for her. When I rounded the corner I sighed with relief as I saw the fragile women squirming in her bed. If I had met Edward and Elizabeth in a completely different situation I would have been able to tell just how close the two of them were. Not only in looks; although, I had never witnessed such gorgeous humans in my entire existence. No, I would have been able to tell their likeliness by the compassion they both shared. Elizabeth was shaking uncontrollably from the chills she had acquired hours earlier. Even so, when they offered her a blanket she refused, but suggested they give it to the elderly women a few beds down. Even hours away from death she seemed to be one of the most loving people. Just like her son.

I knew I wanted my first transformation to be a special one; it shouldn't be wasted on someone who might not appreciate their renewed chance at life. They needed to understand the responsibilities of being immortal. I also knew that they needed to be strong enough to resist from using their powers for anything but good. I couldn't afford for the person to be out of control or easily provoked. The human I would change needed to be someone I felt close to, someone I would kill myself for. They also needed to be someone so close to death that I was their only option. If things went awry and I couldn't stop myself I would have to know that it was still the right thing to have done. That even if I hadn't attempted the change they would have died.

Of course, I never thought my first transformation would include two people. No, I had always planned for it to be simple the first time. I would be able to prepare myself, set everything up. Instead all I could feel was an increasing amount of pressure and the need to hurry. I knew how to change one human, but two? I wondered what would happen as they both cried out as the venom made its course through their bodies. As they both begged to be killed. It would be too hard; I would have to pick only one of them to change.

I looked at Elizabeth, her emerald eyes sparkled at me like two gems. She coughed and a small trickle of blood fell from her lips.

"How's my son? How's Edward?" she asked. I bent down and used a handkerchief to dab the blood off her face. Very few people knew my first name. Many of those who did were lying six feet under the ground. So it clearly came as a shock to me as Elizabeth begged, "Please tell me he's fine Carlisle."

"What?" I asked her as my hand froze on her smooth, white skin.

"Just please tell me my Edward is still alive." I heard the pain in her voice as it quivered in agony and it almost unbearable to hear. I had heard that sound once before, over a hundred years ago. I had told a mother that her son had a rare condition that would cause him to bleed easily. There was no name for it. But there was a prognosis. The infant would die in just a few months. He would probably be crawling outside and get cut by a rock and bleed to death. It was painful to hear but it was the truth and she deserved to know. For hours she sat down begging me to take her life. It was one of the only times that I wished a vampire's memory faded as quickly as a human's did.

"Dr. Cullen?" a nurse put her hand on my shoulder and held a concerned look on her face. I guess I didn't realize that I had gotten lost in the ominous memory.

"Yes?" I asked as I swiftly came out of my haze.

"Mrs. Masen wants to know why you've brought Edward into the same room as she." I turned back to look at Elizabeth but she was no longer looking at me. Her gaze was fixated on Edward who was now just three people away from her.

"Mrs. Masen," I said as I brought her attention back to me "Edward is doing decent. He was bleeding from his nose a short while ago so I thought I would bring him in here, just incase."

"I love my son Dr. Cullen." The way she spoke it was not a statement but rather a hint. I was too distracted by the screams coming from Edward to even think about she was hinting at.

"Nurse? Did Mr. Cullen break a rib while you were trying to transport him here?"

"Yes doctor, it's why it took so long for us to arrive. Half way here he began wheezing and then coughing. According to Dr. Roos he broke the two vertebral ribs on his left side and one vertebra-chondral rib on his right side." His progress was quickly worsening and I knew I had to quickly make a decision.

Who was I going to save? Mother or son? What did each of them have to offer to the world? Edward could be my son; Elizabeth would surely become my wife.

"Tell Dr. Roos to look after my patients. I need a break." With that statement I turned on my heels and exited the room. I had to plan out how to change them both. I would not leave either of them behind.

* * *

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Want more? Please let me know. And again, sorry for the delay, it won't be as long next time – promise.**


	3. Everything

A/N: Your reviews are amazing! I love getting them. Please keep them coming!

As I walked outside a strong gust of wind hit me. It felt warm against my skin, a feeling I was constantly growing used to. When your body temperature is freezing there are very few things that seem cold to you. Not even lying down in snow could make you shiver.

I wonder if they will like this part about their new lives. They – Edward and Elizabeth. I had left work to think about them and that was exactly what I needed to do. I had to plan out exactly how I was going to treat the situation. I had to strategize. The main problem was finding a place to change them. I couldn't take them out of the hospital; someone might tell that they're missing. They might presume them dead but there might be that one nurse who wonders whatever happened to that dashing young boy and his gorgeous mother. I couldn't take that risk. It was improbable for me to change them in a room – there were none available. Not only was every single room taken but we had set up beds in the cafeteria, surgery rooms and hallways. It left me with only one place – the morgue. No one wanted to go down to the morgue; I was the only volunteer who would take the bodies down there. Nobody wanted to risk catching the illness from the dead. Something that was apparently very common for humans to have happen.

So I had the place. Now I had to figure out how I could take the bodies down there. I wouldn't be able to wait until Edward and Elizabeth actually died, I would have to do it while their hearts were still beating. That's something I could fake. No one would be able to tell if they had actually died or not. No one would bother to check as I wheeled the bodies away, down the hall, into the basement. No one would stop me to check if they had actually died. There would be no reason for me to fake their deaths.

It all seemed so simple now that I had figured everything out. I would simply waltz back into the hospital and wait until Edward and Elizabeth fell asleep. Then I would take their seemingly lifeless bodies into the morgue where I would bite them and they would begin their new lives.

When I returned to the hospital I was informed that Elizabeth Masen had spiked a high fever and they had taken her to get an ice bath. She was lucky to have been given one, in recent days the baths were too full and patients usually died while waiting to get one.

As I walked into the room where she was I noticed Elizabeth's pale face was no longer filled with pain but was calm. With any other disease this would be considered a good thing, with the Spanish Flu it was typically a sign that death was near. I sat down on the edge of the metal tub and glanced down at the sight of the breath taking women who had her eyes closed.

Elizabeth's hand quickly emerged from under the water and grabbed my wrist. Her arm was dripping and the movement had splashed water everywhere. I could feel her piercing gaze as she eyed me over. She was contemplating what she should say, finally she found the words and spoke.

"Please" she pleaded her eye filling with tears, "Don't let Edward die. Do everything in your power to keep him alive, Carlisle." I wasn't surprised that she used my first name; the Masens and I were on first name basis these days. However, I couldn't see how she would know I was the best person to ask for this job. I was the _only_ one who would be able to complete her request.

"Everything?" I asked hoping that she would give me a better hint. Was she really okay with me changing her son? Was this the sign that I needed? I wondered if she knew I had the full intentions of transforming her too.

"Yes." She answered not breaking my stare, or averting her eyes, "Do everything that you can. If you have to save just one person, please, just save my Edward." Growing up I was taught that magic wasn't real; there were no such things as vampires or werewolves. None of that existed. Clearly, I was wrong. Now as a vampire I didn't doubt that supernatural things were all around us. Even humans had extra senses. Perhaps Elizabeth could hear my thoughts; maybe she could read my mind. If nothing else it was obvious that once I changed her mind reading would be her added gift, like my compassion, her gift would be able to read the thoughts of others.

"I'll do everything I can." I promised and left to find him.

When I walked in Edward Masen was staring at the door as if he was waiting for someone. Surely it wasn't me. But as I approached the boy – and my image became clear through his fever glazed eyes –he smiled. For a moment I though he might care as much about me as I did for him.

"I had an interesting discussion with your mom today." I smiled and sat at the edge of the boy's bed.

"I know you must think she's crazy, Carlisle. Everyone else does. She told me that ever since she was a little girl she could tell what people were thinking. When she told her father he slapped her across the face and told her never to talk about witchcraft like that again. I didn't believe that she held a special ability until a few years ago. I was walking down the street and there was a girl sitting on a bench, as I walked past her I was suddenly filled with the knowledge that she was upset and that she had just lost something that was special to her. I couldn't read her mind, I could read her. I wasn't listening to her thoughts but her body language, the way she looked, everything about the situation told me these things. Does that make sense?" There was a pause in his speech but I wasn't sure what to say, "You probably think we're crazy – The Maniac Masens – it wouldn't be the first time we heard it."

"Not at all Edward. I believe every ounce of what you just said." He looked shock for a moment but could tell quickly that I was being sincere.

"Then will you believe me when I say that I can see how lonely you are. You push everyone around you away, it's like there is this dark secret that constantly is haunting you…" he broke off midsentence and jerked his body as a pool of blood spilled from his mouth. _Haunting me_, my throat tickled at the smell of human blood. I could easily control myself but there was no doubt it smelled delicious. It's like someone on a diet lying and saying that chocolate cake doesn't look and smell excellent. You might be able to resist it but you can't run from it, you can't change who you are completely.

"Edward," I spoke before he could continue talking "your mom wants me to do everything in my power to keep you alive."

"I don't want to live" he looked up at me, steaming tears rolling down his flushed cheeks and onto his pillow. How was I to save someone who wanted to die?

"What do you mean?" I asked a little taken aback by his sudden outburst.

"I've seen too many things in this hospital. Mother's crying over dead children, piles of infected bodies, people being torn apart from the inside out. Even if I live I'll have to remember those thoughts the rest of my life." I sighed silently in relief. He just didn't want the memories.

"What if you never had to remember everything? If all the memories from the time you were born until now just diapered."

"Then I would be fine." He moaned and rolled as the throb of one of his broken ribs pained his entire body. I watched as his eyes slowly drifted shut, they pulled him into a soft, sweet slumber. Edward Masen was now asleep. In a few hours I would come back, announce his death and take him to the morgue. In the meantime I was to check on Elizabeth and encourage her to sleep as well.


End file.
